National criteria
To join any Initial Teacher Training Programme in the UK, candidates must satisfy the below criteria as set out by the Department for Education (DfE). You must:
Lift Schools Teacher Training Criteria
All teacher training programmes vary, as do their requirements and assessment of suitable candidates. We want to ensure that our pupils are taught by the by the best and brightest teachers possible to give them an outstanding education and start in life. With that in mind, we look for these qualifications and characteristics in potential candidates:
What makes a great teacher? At Lift Schools, we understand that academic qualifications, while important, are not the only thing that make a fantastic teacher. The qualities and characteristics we look for in candidates allow us to determine if the programme could be a good fit for you, and are designed to give you every opportunity to shine during the application process.
Apply NowFeedback and development are key focuses of the programme. We encourage you to reflect on and look critically at your teaching daily to identify areas for development (as well as their strengths!) and accept and absorb feedback from your coach.
These practices, combined with a natural curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, make sure that you keep improving. Every day, you’re a step closer to becoming a fantastic, well-rounded teacher for your students.
1. Alignment with our ethos and values
Our trainees and teachers play a huge part in furthering our shared mission of providing an excellent education to every child, in every classroom, every day.
It’s therefore important to us and our pupils that this mission aligns with your values, and that equality and equal opportunity for all is as fundamental to you as it is to Lift Schools.
2. Excellent communication
Being a teacher is so much more than making sure your students have strong written and verbal communication skills. Communication style and proficiency can be the difference between a class that listens and understands and a class that doesn’t!
During the application process, we’ll be looking at how you try to engage us as a willing adult audience, as it will give us insight into how you might manage and maintain the engagement of an entire class!
3. Keen to learn
Feedback and development are key focuses of the programme. We encourage trainees to reflect on and look critically at their teaching daily to identify areas for development (as well as their strengths!) and accept and absorb feedback from their coach.
These practices, combined with a natural curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, ensure that your improvement, however small, is ongoing: every day, you’re a step closer to becoming a fantastic, well-rounded teacher for your students.
4. Resilience
Teaching is hard! And although it will be helpful and constructive, not all the feedback you receive will be positive. It can be incredibly frustrating if you don’t feel like you’re improving as quickly as you would like. The workload is intense, and your students may face challenging circumstances that manifest in the classroom.
You’ll need emotional strength to manage this daily, and to always look for the silver lining and remain optimistic in the face of setbacks, because we promise you – this challenge is so worth it!
Considerations for Non-UK Qualifications
To join any Initial Teacher Training programme in the UK, you must meet certain academic criteria set by the UK government. If you obtained your high school or degree results outside of the UK, you will need to provide us with the following:
The UK National Information Centre for the recognition and evaluation of international qualifications and skills for the United Kingdom (UK ENIC) is the UK’s agency for recognising international qualifications and skills.
To prove that your qualifications meet the UK Initial Teacher Training academic criteria, you will need to get a UK ENIC ‘Statement of Comparability’.
To obtain a Statement of Comparability, please click here and follow the instructions.
3 Simple Steps
A full application to our teacher training programme involves three stages…
Step 1: Your Eligibility
The first step in the application process is to assess your eligibility for the programme. Please note: Before starting the online application, we recommend gathering up all of the key details required, double checking the eligibility criteria and having an up-to-date CV to hand.
Online Application
Your teacher training journey begins by completing our simple online application form. The application covers the following:
Step 2: Getting to Know You
If your online application has been successful, the second stage of the application process is all about getting to know you, your reasons for wanting to teach and your potential as a teacher trainee.
Telephone interview
If successful at the application stage, a telephone screening conversation will be arranged. This will include some competency-based questions and will give you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have at this stage. Please do some research on the school you have applied to and our training programme before your interview.
Step 3: School-Led Assessment
The school-led assessment marks the final stage of the application process. Please note: We know how important it is for you to get a feel for what working in one of our schools will be like. As such, we’ve incorporated more panellists and a feedback task into this final stage so you can meet some of the key staff involved in a trainee’s year and ask any school-specific questions. The final school-led assessment is a school-based interview that gives you the chance to learn more about the school you’ll be training in. It also serves as a final opportunity for the recruitment team to fully gauge your subject knowledge level and get a better understanding of what you might be like in a classroom environment.
As part of this interview, you will be asked to prepare a 5-minute lesson on a topic specific to the subject or phase you want to teach. This topic will be sent to you beforehand to give you time to prepare. After giving the lesson on the day, you’ll receive feedback from our recruitment team and be given time to make changes before redelivering the lesson.
If you’re successful at the school-based assessment, congratulations! You’re an exceptional candidate and will be offered a place to start the programme in September!
Training to be a teacher is a challenging but incredibly rewarding experience. You gain some fantastic experiences that will support you wherever your teaching career takes you. Our trainees form great relationships with their cohort, tutors, coaches and teachers, so there’s a real sense of camaraderie.
The Lift Schools Teacher Training course is a school-based programme, which means the entirety of your training year takes place in one of our amazing, vibrant schools – not a lecture theatre in sight!
While training to be a teacher can be challenging at times, it’s an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling experience. With Lift Schools Teacher Training, you’ll be making an impact on the lives of young people from your very first day. You’ll also be fully supported throughout your training.
At the end of the training year, you will gain QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) and a PGCE. You can learn more about these qualifications and completing your training here.
This is a school-based programme, which means your teacher training year will take place in one of our schools.
Yes! You’ll be training in one of our schools from your very first day.
We have 57 schools across five locations in the UK: London, Essex, the South West, West Midlands and Yorkshire & Humber. Many of our schools are in areas facing social and economic challenges or historic academic underachievement, so you can be sure you’re making a difference from your very first day of training.
Let us know the location you’d like to teach in on your application. You’ll also be able to tell us if you have any preference about the school you’ll be placed in. Typically, our recruitment team will work with you to find a school that’s the perfect fit for you! Learn more about our amazing schools here.
Trainees in primary schools will work with children aged between 5-11 years, and those training in secondary schools will be teaching pupils between 11-16 years.
Yes! Our teacher training is a school-based programme, meaning that your training will be in a school from your very first day of term. You’ll get to watch your pupils grow throughout the whole academic year.
You can begin your application to the Lift Schools Teacher Training programme by completing our online application form. Click here to learn everything you need to know about the application process.
The great thing about our schools is that they all have their own character, so you’re sure to find the perfect fit! That being said, it’s important that you share our ethos and values, and have a good understanding of your chosen subject. Learn more about the qualities and characteristics that we look for in candidates above.
Of course! There are certain requirements you will need to meet however, which you can learn more about above.
IELTS score of level 7 or above will be accepted as long as it is within its expiry date.
If your qualifications are not equivalent to those outlined, you can take a ‘GCSE equivalency test’. We accept equivalency tests from https://astarequivalency.co.uk/ or https://www.equivalencytesting.com/
You’ll be able to teach a subject that you have an A-Level in (grade C or above) or a related degree (2:2 or above). In place of qualifications, we will also consider applicants with relevant work experience in their chosen subject. See above for our full eligibility criteria. Before deciding on a subject, make sure it’s one you’re passionate about! You’ll want to convey all that excitement to your students. If you have any STEM qualifications, we’re always looking for exceptional STEM candidates!
You can apply to our teacher training programme directly through our online application and DfE Apply.
It isn’t a mandatory requirement that you’ve had experience in a school, but this can help your application. Different routes offered in our schools will have varying requirements and will be discussed during application. What’s important is that you’re able to demonstrate how the experiences that you do have are transferable to teaching and the classroom environment.
Teacher Training always begins in September at the start of the academic year. There will be several days of induction, including a tutor induction meeting, school orientation experience and a compulsory two-week summer school which takes place in August.
Absolutely! If you aren’t accepted the first time around, it often presents a great opportunity to get some more relevant experience that will help your application the next time you apply.
One of the unique things about training to teach with Lift Schools & Ark is collaborating with exceptional people across our network. Staff come together regularly locally and nationally to share best practices and develop teaching techniques across the network. Find out more about our approach to trainee wellbeing and support here.
We make sure that our teacher training programme is open and accessible to everyone with a passion for teaching and helping young people reach their full potential. If you have a disability that you’d like us to be aware of and support you with, let us know in your application so we can make arrangements where required.
Some of the ways trainees are able to fund their training include:
• Subject bursaries
• Student loans and maintenance loans
• Scholarships
• A salaried training route All funding options are subject to eligibility.
See above for more details.
There are a number of different ways that trainees fund their training year. You can find the full details of the subject bursaries available for this year here. You may also be eligible for student finance such as maintenance loans. Click here to learn more about the government funding that could be available to you.
We’re committed to the welfare of our trainees, and our programme is developed specifically with teacher wellbeing in mind. You’ll also be fully supported by your tutor, coach, teachers and fellow trainees – we’re here to help each other through the challenging days and celebrate the many great ones! Find out more about our approach to trainee wellbeing and support here.
We offer a wide range of subjects to teach as part of our programme, including primary and STEM subjects.
• Maths
• English
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Primary
To teach a subject, you must either have an A-level (we look for Grade C or above) or a degree in a related subject. If you have a few options, you need to ensure you are passionate about the subject to convey this enthusiasm to our students. We are always looking for great STEM trainees, so make sure you think extra hard about those subjects. Learn more about our eligibility criteria above.
We’re committed to eliminating discrimination and encouraging diversity among our employees and trainees. Our aim is that our cohort will be truly representative of all sections of society and that each employee and trainee feels respected and able to give their best.
Still have questions?
Contact the ITT recruitment team on:
ittrecruitment@liftschools.org